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“No, no.” He waved her back to her seat and rewarded her helpful offer with a scowl of annoyance. Why did she have to be so damn sweet and conscientious? He’d be happy to find even one flaw, something to make him not like her so much. So far, though, he could come up with nothing. “And I told you to use my first name.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” A soft blush colored her cheeks. “Reed. May I help you?”
“I said no.” His curt response made her bite down on her lower lip. Ignoring her reaction, he glanced around the office. “Where’s Sharon?”
“She had a doctor’s appointment this morning,” Golden said, looking relieved that he’d changed the subject. “She’ll be in around noon.” She smoothed her hands down her skirt and glanced back at him, her gaze hesitant.
It was a move that made him take a second look. Somehow today there was something different about her. She was still simple little Golden Browne but there was an air of sophistication about her, one that hadn’t been there before.
And then he saw it. Today Golden was wearing a wool suit, all black with silver buttons down the front of the jacket, and at the collar was a pearl necklace. She was even wearing matching pearl earrings. All in all the outfit was of much higher quality than what she’d worn the week before but where she’d looked young and unsophisticated then, now she looked dated and old.
Eyes narrowed he stared at her. Had the girl been digging through her mother’s closet? He would take the simple, unsophisticated look over this one any day.
He shook his head. All in good time. He’d make sure that before Sharon left for her maternity leave, she educated Golden on all the perks of working for a high fashion company. Employee discounts on haute couture apparel was one of the reasons his company was flooded with CV’s from budding fashion hopefuls.
And speaking of CVs, had he even asked this girl to submit her official documents and certificates for their files? That was another thing he needed to speak to Sharon about.
He’d hired the girl on a whim simply because he ‘liked’ her and because he was determined to see her again. And again.
He was a real sucker for punishment.
Abruptly he turned and headed for the exit. “I’ll be back in a few,” he threw over his shoulder. “If anybody calls just take a message.”
“Yes, sir.” Her voice, gentle and melodious, followed him out the door.
But instead of granting him calm all it made him do was groan. Even at the grand old age of twenty-six he was still acting like a fool. He’d known from the start that this was hopeless. Why couldn’t he have let well enough alone?
***
“Look what I brought you.”
Golden almost laughed out loud when Claire snatched the pink and white gift bag from her grasp and shoved her hand in.
“What?” the old lady asked, her eyes bright and eager. “Brownies?”
“No, but close. I made you chocolate chip cookies, soft and warm, straight from the oven.”
As she spoke Claire was pulling the colored dish from the bag. She lifted the lid and her lips parted in a wide grin. “This looks like almost a dozen. I’m going to gorge myself on these.”
“It is a dozen,” Golden confirmed, “but they’re not all for you. I brought enough so you can share with your friends.”
Claire’s brows fell. “What friends?”
“Claire, don’t give me that.” Golden reached out pulled the bowl from her resisting hands and laid it on the nearby table. “I happen to know that you get along very well with Elizabeth Stein. And what about Therese Morgan? You give her grief but you love her. Don’t try to deny it.”
Claire pouted. “I won’t, but that doesn’t mean I have to share my cookies with them.”
Golden only chuckled. “I know you, Claire. As soon as I’m gone you’ll be calling them in for tea and before you know it the cookies will be all gone. You like acting the dragon but you don’t fool me.”
Claire’s look of disappointment was comical. She shook her head. “Child, you know me too well.”
While Golden was there Claire ate only two of the cookies, saving the rest for the afternoon when her friends would come over. As she munched she chatted cheerily with Golden, filling her in on all the details of her past week. Not that it was very eventful. There were few opportunities for excitement in the life of someone stuck in a nursing home but she did share an entertaining tidbit, recounting how Albert Rodney from the neighboring building had come over to visit, taking his grandson with him. The six-year-old ran off through the nursing home, leaving his grandfather in the dust and creating such havoc that the supervisor had to ask poor Albert to leave, taking the offspring of his offspring with him.
“It was like old Albert didn’t know what hit him,” Claire squeaked between guffaws. “There was no way he could keep up with that little bundle of energy.”
Golden couldn’t help but laugh, too. She could just picture it, the little tyke tearing through the hallways with his grandfather after him, struggling to catch up. Poor kid. He must have been bored to tears in this sea of golden-agers who would much rather sit and drink tea than go racing down the hallways.
But then that picture made Golden think of Claire and her life here at the nursing home. She’d always thought her friend was childless. She’d never seen a single soul come to visit her and that was why she’d semi-adopted her, going out of her way to pay regular visits. Now, though, she knew better. Claire had a daughter, probably grandchildren, too. Why, then, should she be all alone, especially for the holidays? It wasn’t right and it wasn’t going to continue. Not if Golden could help it.
It would be a ticklish subject but Golden would broach the topic nonetheless. That was the only way things would ever be resolved. She cleared her throat. “Er, Claire, uhm...wouldn’t you like to meet your grandchild? If you have one, I mean?” She bit her lip then stole a glance at Claire, expecting the older woman’s face to be as dark as a thundercloud. What she saw surprised her.
Instead of a face cloudy with anger at her presumptuous question what she saw was a look so wistful and forlorn that her heart went out to the woman she’d grown to know and love. Immediately she got up and went to her.
Taking Claire’s hand she looked straight into the sharp gray eyes. It was time to put an end to this mystery. “What happened, Claire? Tell me.” She squeezed the woman’s hands. “Tell me so I can help make things right.”
Claire shook her head then she sighed. “It’s too late, child. There’s nothing you or anyone can do.”
“But it can’t be.” Golden leaned closer, her voice urgent. “It’s never too late, not where love is concerned. This is family. You have to try.”
Her earnest declaration was greeted with silence but Golden did not back off. This was too important. “Tell me what happened,” she pressed. “Make me understand.”
Claire’s face crinkled and she shook her head like she couldn’t bear to speak but then her voice came out, trembling and low. “She’s my only child, my one daughter, but she...betrayed me. She trampled all over my love for her.”
“But...how?”
Claire pulled her hand from Golden’s and reached up to pull the scarf tighter around her shoulders. “Her father and I, we’d gone through a bitter divorce. He was a wicked, wicked man. Abusive.” She shook her head again and this time when she spoke it was through gritted teeth. “She saw what he did to me. It wasn’t just emotional and verbal abuse. There were times when he got...physical.” Her body shuddered and she looked away. “I still have the scars to prove it.”
“Oh, no. I’m so sorry.” Golden whispered the words but she wanted to do more. She wanted to reach out and pull Claire to her but instinctively she knew that now was not the time. Right now what Claire needed was space, the freedom to speak out and tell her story. Golden dared not embrace her and stifle the cleansing flow of her words.
“And she knew this.” Claire pressed an embroidered handkerchief to her lips. “Marjorie knew this and still she sided with him. Can you imagine,” she fixed glistening eyes on Golden, “after seeing me go through so much suffering at that man’s hands she turned around and forgave him? Forgave him,” she spat, “and when he found himself a woman she went to the wedding.” She clenched her fists as she spoke. “Now that was the last straw.”
“But Claire-”
“But Claire nothing.” She glared at Golden. “I know what that meant. It meant that no matter that Edmund was a worthless husband and a terrible father she loved him more than she did me. Well, she can have him.”
“Now, Claire, I’m sure your daughter loves you. Just because she still loves her father it doesn’t mean she stopped loving you.”
